Any student of human history will have to agree that religion has, from the very beginning, played a vital role in the lives of mankind. For some reason humans had to believe in some powerful deity that controls their lives, provide protection and favours and that can punish poor behaviour. To this day religious orders and churches wield great power all over the world, using their Holy books as their justification. This is why I am not a Bible student.
Many people hold the opinion that the scriptures have not been written by God, as theologians would like everyone to believe. Instead, it consists of a collection of letters, stories and books written by humans. Some of these books and writings are even inspirational or entertaining, but they are nevertheless the subjective products of fallible humans that cannot be taken as holy.
Critics also point out that the content of the scriptures were selected by humans, by religious leaders that needed this collection of writings to underwrite the doctrine that they were preaching and promoting. They furthermore point out that there are thousands of other so called holy scriptures that have not been included and that this constitutes a clear sign of extreme bias and manipulative behaviour.
Many critics point out that even highly respected theological scholars do not agree on the exact nature of the scriptures. There are those that firmly believe that it is the holy Word of God, divinely inspired and without fault. They call this the doctrine of inerrancy. Another camp says that the scriptures cannot be taken literally, but rather as an allegory, a riddle even, that needs expert interpretation.
The fact that the scriptures have been translated into so many languages is also a bone of contention. Critics say that translations are often done by individuals that simply do not have the skills necessary to correctly interpret and translate the original meaning as contained in the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This means that many versions of the scriptures are nothing but interpretations by amateurs.
A great many sceptics point out that the scriptures are exclusive in nature. It has no tolerance for any other view or religion. It soundly condemns those that do not firmly believe in the scriptures to hell and damnation. It clearly states that man always has a free choice, but, says the critics, how can this be if the scriptures will not allow any view other than the one it portrays.
Some of the more outspoken critics say that the scriptures are hypocritical. They point out that the vast majority of people are suffering from debilitating poverty and even persecution. This cannot possibly be related to the message that Christianity will set people free, will empower them and will ensure that God Himself will look after them. These people have no reason to believe in these empty promises.
Of course there are many devout students of the holy scriptures. However, the iron grip that organized religion had on the everyday lives of all humans is increasingly being rejected. At the same time, the Bible, as the official handbook of the Christian religion is also being rejected.
Many people hold the opinion that the scriptures have not been written by God, as theologians would like everyone to believe. Instead, it consists of a collection of letters, stories and books written by humans. Some of these books and writings are even inspirational or entertaining, but they are nevertheless the subjective products of fallible humans that cannot be taken as holy.
Critics also point out that the content of the scriptures were selected by humans, by religious leaders that needed this collection of writings to underwrite the doctrine that they were preaching and promoting. They furthermore point out that there are thousands of other so called holy scriptures that have not been included and that this constitutes a clear sign of extreme bias and manipulative behaviour.
Many critics point out that even highly respected theological scholars do not agree on the exact nature of the scriptures. There are those that firmly believe that it is the holy Word of God, divinely inspired and without fault. They call this the doctrine of inerrancy. Another camp says that the scriptures cannot be taken literally, but rather as an allegory, a riddle even, that needs expert interpretation.
The fact that the scriptures have been translated into so many languages is also a bone of contention. Critics say that translations are often done by individuals that simply do not have the skills necessary to correctly interpret and translate the original meaning as contained in the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This means that many versions of the scriptures are nothing but interpretations by amateurs.
A great many sceptics point out that the scriptures are exclusive in nature. It has no tolerance for any other view or religion. It soundly condemns those that do not firmly believe in the scriptures to hell and damnation. It clearly states that man always has a free choice, but, says the critics, how can this be if the scriptures will not allow any view other than the one it portrays.
Some of the more outspoken critics say that the scriptures are hypocritical. They point out that the vast majority of people are suffering from debilitating poverty and even persecution. This cannot possibly be related to the message that Christianity will set people free, will empower them and will ensure that God Himself will look after them. These people have no reason to believe in these empty promises.
Of course there are many devout students of the holy scriptures. However, the iron grip that organized religion had on the everyday lives of all humans is increasingly being rejected. At the same time, the Bible, as the official handbook of the Christian religion is also being rejected.
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